81BB. Off Station Road, Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire With thanks to Dwight for informing me of these Survivors. Installed overlooking a Royal Mail depot are three 20 ft (6 m) 'Midway X' lighting columns and 'Midway' brackets, with two of these supporting their original P127 / SO.140 lanterns, all made by Concrete Utilities Phosco. These lanterns could run 85 - 140 Watt SO/H / SOI/H lamps - the forerunners of the later 55 - 90 Watt SOX (low pressure sodium) lamps, and appear to have been wired to operate with the former type, though one of the lanterns now runs an LED 'cob' lamp instead.
The example fitted with the LED lamp is seen first.
Remarkably, both lanterns are in good condition, and are free from damage and any significant internal dirt build-up.
With these lanterns having fully transparent undersides to the bowls, the LED lamp result in a very glary appearance at night.
Being able to accept the larger 140 / 90 Watt lamps means that lanterns appear slightly out of proportion at this mounting height.
The shorter lamp within the lantern is obvious.
These lanterns rely on the usual Phosco 'Oddie' key to secure the bowl; this is located at the front of the lantern, with a hinge at the back.
Also of note on Station Road are four wall-mounted aluminium Thorn Beta 79s, which are attached to the eponymous railway station building.
Judging by the missing bowls on two of the lanterns, and the very blackened tubular high pressure sodium (SON-T) lamps contained within them, I doubt that they have worked in years.
The lamp fitted here appears to be a Thorn one, which would mean that it can date to no later than 1992, as Thorn sold off its lamp division to General Electric in that year. Thorn changed the aluminium-canopied Beta 79 to GRP after 1983, so in theory, this could be the only lamp that has ever existed in this Beta 79, and it has never received any maintenance at all!
The bowl remained attached to the next example.
The lamp appeared less worn here, though the slight clouding and discolouration to the polycarbonate bowl makes it more difficult to see.
The third lantern was also bowlless.
The lamp appeared absolutely cremated here!
The final example, and the second to retain its bowl, was positioned alongside a D.W. Windsor 'Westminster' heritage lantern and 'Cambridge' column.
Here too, the lamp appeared in better condition. Perhaps, older SON lamps were more inclined to blacken if used in open fittings.
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